Before everyone's eyes, Shin deftly gripped the brush and made fluid strokes across the unfurled scroll.
"What is he doing?" Sasuke wondered, watching intently as Shin completed what appeared to be a detailed illustration.
"Is that an eagle?" While the others puzzled over Shin's actions, only Sai—himself an artist—immediately recognized the subject of the drawing.
Shin glanced sideways at Sai, acknowledging his observation with a smile and nod.
"Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll! Eagle!"
With those words, the black-and-white eagle illustration suddenly animated, lifting off the parchment as though breaking free from two dimensions into three. The ink creature flapped its wings powerfully, circled Shin once, and then landed before him, fully formed and awaiting command.
"What kind of jutsu is this?" Even with his extensive knowledge of clan techniques, Sasuke had never witnessed ninjutsu performed in this manner. As for Sakura and the others from civilian backgrounds, they were even more astonished. Despite their status as newly-minted shinobi, their jutsu repertoires consisted primarily of the three basic techniques taught at the Academy.
"This isn't the time to stand in awe," Shin urged, his expression serious as he turned to Sasuke. "Since you understand Naruto-kun's intentions, don't waste this opportunity!"
During their momentary distraction, Kakashi and Shisui had already effortlessly dispatched nearly a third of Naruto's shadow clones.
Sasuke's eyes widened with sudden understanding, and he gave Shin a sharp nod of agreement.
"Your reaction time is impressive—truly befitting Uchiha Itachi's younger brother," Shin remarked with an approving smile. In a fluid motion, he leapt onto the eagle's back. The ink construct spread its wings and soared skyward with its creator.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves!" Sasuke called to the others, his mind already formulating a coordinated strategy.
At that moment, Chiharu's hands formed the distinctive cross-shaped seal.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
With a series of popping sounds, dozens of Chiharu clones materialized around them. Without hesitation, they rushed forward with surprising speed.
As Kakashi and Shisui continued dispatching Naruto's shadow clones, inevitable gaps appeared in the defensive perimeter. Chiharu's freshly created clones strategically filled these openings, maintaining the pressure on the two jōnin.
Observing Chiharu's timely support, Sasuke realized she had intuited Shin's aerial strategy. Rather than announcing it aloud where their instructors might overhear, she had acted decisively. Shin intended to use Naruto and their ground-based attacks as diversions while preparing to strike from above.
Against opponents of Kakashi and Shisui's caliber, their only viable path to success lay in achieving a surprising, coordinated strike.
"Quantity alone won't suffice," Shisui commented casually as he dispelled another of Naruto's clones with a seemingly effortless movement.
"I'm not giving up that easily!" Naruto shot back defiantly. Among the dozen or so remaining shadow clones, one—the real Naruto—began forming hand seals for yet another technique.
"Still not at his limit?" Shisui thought with genuine surprise. He recognized the real Naruto by his movements—the boy was preparing to create even more shadow clones.
Even if Naruto managed to multiply his numbers tenfold, it wouldn't fundamentally change the situation against two jōnin of their caliber. However, Shisui noted with concern that so far, only Naruto and Chiharu had actively engaged in the assault. If the others remained passive, the entire exercise would become meaningless.
Kakashi evidently shared this concern. Moving with blinding speed, he restrained Naruto's hands before the boy could complete his jutsu. Meanwhile, the students from his own team had yet to make any significant contribution.
"Brother, clear the way!" Chiharu's voice rang out as her real body—small and agile—darted through the thinning ranks of shadow clones surrounding the jōnin.
"Right!" Naruto responded instinctively, leaping backward without question.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The moment Naruto cleared the space, an enormous fireball roared toward Kakashi and Shisui from behind him. Heat waves distorted the air as the blazing sphere scorched the ground vegetation in its path.
The first casualties of the fireball were inevitably Naruto and Chiharu's remaining shadow clones. Over half of them dissipated instantly, consumed by the flames.
"Impressive heat," Shisui remarked appreciatively. Though Itachi was consumed with ANBU responsibilities, he had clearly devoted considerable time to teaching his younger brother. The power and control behind Sasuke's fireball surpassed that of many chūnin-level Uchiha.
Shisui's hands formed seals so rapidly that to Naruto and Chiharu's shadow clones, it appeared as though he had merely raised his arms.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Countering with the identical jutsu, Shisui created his own massive fireball. The two spheres of flame collided spectacularly, generating visible shock waves that rippled outward for several meters.
With his mastery, Shisui could easily have overwhelmed Sasuke's technique, but doing so might have caused serious injury. Instead, he matched the younger Uchiha's fireball, calculating that Sasuke's chakra reserves wouldn't sustain such an intense jutsu for long.
Just as the fiery collision captured Kakashi and Shisui's attention, a flash of movement streaked behind them with extraordinary speed.
Though practically invisible to Naruto, the blur didn't escape the jōnins' notice.
"Body Flicker?" Kakashi exclaimed, pivoting sharply. The velocity just witnessed could only belong to Chiharu—at merely seven years old, she had somehow mastered a version of her father's legendary teleportation jutsu.
Even as this realization struck him, Chiharu's hands were already forming a new sequence of seals.
"Lightning Release?" Kakashi recognized the initial hand positions immediately.
"What remarkable chakra reserves!" he thought with astonishment. For a child her age to perform multiple shadow clones, flicker techniques, and still have capacity for elemental ninjutsu was unprecedented. Her chakra levels rivaled Naruto's—a fact that raised intriguing questions.
"Shhh!" A crackling sound filled the air as Chiharu completed her jutsu. From her small mouth came arcs of lightning that spread outward in concentric circles. The electricity cutting through air created a sharp, piercing noise.
Responding instantly, Kakashi drew the short blade from his back. Lightning chakra enveloped the weapon as he positioned it to intercept Chiharu's attack. The two lightning techniques collided with a brilliant flash.
"Now!" Shin, observing from his aerial vantage point, recognized the perfect moment had arrived. However, he remained temporarily stationary—launching an attack from his current distance would have minimal chance of success.
In that critical instant, Sakura suddenly hurled a kunai toward the space between Shisui and Kakashi. Attached to the knife was an explosive tag, already ignited and sizzling.
The distinctive sound of the burning tag naturally caught both jōnins' attention. Shisui reacted instantly, retrieving a shuriken from his equipment pouch with remarkable speed. With precise aim, he deflected the kunai upward. The explosive tag detonated harmlessly in a mid-air parabola.
Simultaneously, Sai attempted a similar maneuver against Kakashi, who was fully prepared for such a basic diversionary tactic.
What Kakashi hadn't anticipated, however, was that the moment Sai launched his kunai, a figure that had remained strategically positioned suddenly surged forward.
"What a perfect opportunity!" Naruto shouted gleefully as he charged directly toward Kakashi.
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